Interlude: A Prongs & Tigerlily Encounter
by Anoron
Summary: He loves her. She hates him. But if there’s one thing they’re both good at, it’s taking care of their friends. A James and Lily moment. Companion to The Key To Marauding


**Title:** Interlude: A Prongs/Tigerlily encounter

**Rating:** Gâ€ for General exhibition

**Disclaimer:** James Potter and Lily Evans belong to JK Rowling, and Dawn Summers is Joss Whedon's work. I'm just playing with them.

**Summary:** He loves her. She hates him. But if there's one thing they're both good at, it's taking care of their friends. A James/Lily moment. Companion to The Key To Marauding.

**A/N:** The 1st of 3 scenes cut from Chapter 15 of The Key To Marauding for length and flow reasons, features and revolves around issues relating to a Buffy character.

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Lily relented. "I won't come looking for you this weekend," she offered. "If you feel better up here, I won't draw attention to your absence."

"Thanks Lily," Dawn sniffled.

Lily cleared up her supplies and left, and James chased her out the door. He made sure it closed behind him, so Dawn wouldn't overhear the conversation he was about to initiate.

"Hey, Evans," he called.

Lily froze. She turned slowly. "What do you want, Potter?" She mentally cursed the bowl and the jar in her hands that prevented her from crossing her arms and settled for tapping her foot impatiently.

"Um" he held up his slowly healing hands. "Thanks."

"You already said that. And I didn't do it for you, I did it for Dawn. Let's get that straight for starters. Now if that's all you had to say, I'd like to get out of the boys' quarters before I get into trouble," she made to descend the stairs.

James scrambled after her. "Oh come on, Evans, you know Dawn comes up her all the time. Nobody cares. Besides, there's something I need to ask you," he rushed out, hoping to detain her for just a little bit longer. Always just a little bit longer.

"Potter, I swear to God, if you're going to ask me out, I'll throw you down these stairs," Lily warned. James was left with no doubts that she truly meant what she said. What's more, she could probably do it without even spilling a drop of that Murtlap essence.

He shook his head. Then he shrugged sheepishly. Let's be honest, he figured. "Well I was thinking about it," –Lily shifted her supplies into one arm and cocked back her fist- "But I won't. I just wanted to ask you to do something for meâ€ for Dawn," he babbled, hoping to save himself a pair of broken glasses and a black eye.

Lily's eyes had become emerald green shutters, completely closed to emotion as she studied James shrewdly. Long seconds ticked by before she evidently decided James wasn't just using Dawn as an excuse to get at her, and gradually lowered her fist. She almost let herself smirk at the sigh of relief James didn't even realise he'd breathed.

"Well? What do you want me to do?" she asked briskly.

"Go to McGonagall," he replied promptly. It was funny, James mused, that he found such an unladylike snort so endearing when it was issued from the nose of Lily Evans. She was glaring at him again. How he had come to enjoy that glare.

"Yeah right, Potter. And then she'll blame me because you're too gutless to go against her word and go to McGonagall yourself! Nice try, but I'm not going to be your scapegoat. You do your own dirty work," she told him in no uncertain terms.

James sighed. "Evans, I'll make a Wizard's Oath and swear to Merlin that the second McGonagall sets foot in that door I'll tell the Kitten it was my idea. I justâ€ don't know if I should leave her tonight," he mumbled looking at the ground.

"You swear?" she persisted.

James smiled that disarmingly innocent smile of his, looking like a cheeky little boy. "Would I lie to you, Evans?"

She arched an eyebrow. "Yes."

"Eva-"

She held up a hand to cut his whine short. "But I'll do it anyway. Because much as it pains me to say it, you're right. We can't just let this go, Malfoy needs to pay for what he tried to do to Dawn. And I don't particularly care if you get expelled in the process, either."

"You'd miss me, I know you would," he grinned, then hurried on before she could contradict his statement. "Ok, so how about you go to McGonagall right after breakfast in the morning and have her come up to the dorm? I won't tell Dawn because she'll get upset and worry, but I'll make sure the others are ready for it."

Lily nodded. "Fine."

Before she could turn away, James had leaned over and pressed a grateful kiss to her forehead. She stood stock still, for once unsure of how to react to him as he breathed in the scent of her hair before pulling away and jogging back towards his dorm door. Lily stared after him.

He paused, hand on the door, and tossed a smile back at her. "Oh and Evans? Thanks for not hexing me."

Her shock subsided. Lily's eyes narrowed. "Just this once, Potter. Just this once."

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end moment 


End file.
